Win 2K provides you with the option of fixing problems by using either the Recovery Console or the Emergency Repair Process. During Setup you are asked if you want to set up Win2K, repair a Win2K installation, or quit Setup. When you select the Repair option by pressing R, the following information is displayed on your screen:Win2K repair options: To repair a Win2K installation by using the recovery console, press C. To repair a Win2K installation by using the Emergency Repair Process, press R.
Repair an xp Installation
For windows xp users, You have an option to repair installation. A Repair Install will replace the system files with the ones found on the windows xp installation cd but will leave your applications, files and settings where they are. But all windows updates are lost, you have to update them again. First boot from the win xp cd. Press Enter to start the installation.Do not choose to Repair Installation on this screen. Then press F8 to accept to the license agreement. In the next screen press R to repair the windows installation. Only necessary files will be copied to the hard drive. Windows will then begin to load and the computer will then reboot. Let the computer boot itself from the hard disk and complete the installation.This repair installation is useful when computer is affected by some malware, and you do not want to loose your installed programs and documents on your computer in formatting the hard disk.
Backup your important data
If you have a cd or a dvd writer connected to your computer or laptop then it is a good habit to make monthly backups of all the downloaded programs, songs, movies, pictures, text files , favorites etc etc. And then delete them from your hard disk. In this way when you create a new backup cd next month you will have different files on it, and your hard disk will have more space, and on top of it if your computer crashes for some reason, all your data will be backed up. This is more essential for laptop users because in case of a crash it is different than for a computer user. On a computer you can take out your hard disk and get the data out of it. It is not the same for a laptop.You can take out the hard disk from your computer (not for laptops) and connect it as a slave disk to another computer and copy the data. Then format the disk and connect it back to your computer and begin re-installation.
Backup as a Slave Disk
If you need to transfer data from one computer to another computer at once and you do not have a network between them.There are several ways this can be accomplished. This is useful for transferring data from old computer hard disks to new computer in case they are not networked together.
1) Take out the hard disk from one computer, attach it as a slave disk to the new computer. Then copy the data over to the other hard disk. Take out the hard disk and put it back to its original computer (You need to understand the necessary precautions to be taken befor you open the computer) . First take out the hard disk from the computer after that you are ready to put it inside another computer.
-Turn the power supply off. Disconnect the power cord/cable that connects the power supply to the computer. -Then open the computer case. Locate the hard disk. There are two cables attached to it. One is a data cable, another is the power cord/cable. Data cords can be of two types depending on the type of the hard disk. It can be either IDE or SATA. The IDE cables will be broader than the SATA cables. So, locate a free pair of cables and insert it in the hard disk. -You can place the hard disk in any position as you intend to use it temperarily for ransferring data. Remove the small plastic connector (blue/black) at the connecting pins of the IDE hard disk, it is called Jumper and is used to make the hard disk a master disk or a slave disk. Removing Jumper will make it a slave disk. You can put the Jumper back when you connect the hard disk back to its original computer.
After you connect the cables, you can leave the computer cover on, connect the power cord and turn the power supply on. When the computer is booting press the appropriate key to enter the computer BIOS. There see if the new hard disk has been identified. If it is OK save BIOS and exit by pressing F10.
Now restart the computer and let it boot normally. Once your computer starts normally, double click on the My Computer icon to see the hard disk partitions. You should see extra partitions due to the additional hard disk.
Now here is a trick. The Hard disk partitions C, D, E etc do not belong to a single hard disk. It is allocated in alternate fashion. C belongs to first HD, D to second. Again E belongs to the first HD and F belongs to the second. Open each partition to identify and confirm which partition belongs to which drive. Once you are comfortable with the drive names allocation, then copy the data from the hard disk you want to the hard disk you want. You can also burn the data on cds/dvds it you want, in case the other computer does not have a cd/dvd writer.
Once you have backed up your data and confirmed it. Then turn the computer off. Pull out the cables from the hard disk. Put the Jumper back if it is an IDE HD. Put the case/cover of the computer back. Turn on the computer, again enter BIOS to let the computer identify the changes in the hardware. Save and exit BIOS.
Now put the hard disk back in your computer. Put it back in its location, tighten any screws, insert cables, put back the cover. Connect power cable, start the computer. Enter BIOS, confirm the hard disk detection, save BIOS and exit. Start the computer normally.
2) Use a External USB case to connect the old hard disk with the new computer through USB port as an external hard disk. Remove the hard disk after the transfer of data back and put it back to its original location. 3) Use a crossover cable to connect network cards of both computers to create a network between them. Or create a wireless network or a bluetooth network. You can transfer data if the computers are in some kind of network 4) Copy/burn all data from the computer onto cds/dvds. you can use these cds/dvds to copy/transfer the data to the other computer 5) Use a USB memory stick/ pen drive to copy data off the hard disk and then copy/transfer it over the other computer. It is the most convinient method provided you have USB ports on both the computers and have a USB/Pen drive/stick 6) There is a little round about way, in case you have a high speed internet connection. First copy/upload all the data on a website that provides free data storage, then downoad it from there on the other computer.
Back up on the same hard disk
If you have another partition on your hard disk then you can copy all your files on that partition. For example you have two partitions C and D. Your windows is installed on C. Now you want to do a re-installation. Then you can copy all your files from My documents, downloads, songs, videos, images etc to your D drive. Then at the time of installation, delete only the C partition. ( and Do not delete the D partition ! ). Then create a new partition in the unpartitioned space, which will again become your new C partition. Now continue with installation by choosing to install windows on C partition. This process will give you all the benefits of a new installation still keeping all your data safe on your D drive. Use this method if you do not have the facility of backing up your data on cds/dvds
Backup on External Hard Disk
If you have an external usb hard disk, you can use it to backup all important data from your internal hard disk. You can even use a pen drive for the purpose if the data can be accomodated on it.
Backup Through Network
If your computer is part of a network , you can copy your data on another computer in the network
Prerequisites to Reinstallation
Here is a check list before you consider to re-install windows on your computer
1) You will first need to back up all important information, all downloaded programs, text files, movies, songs, pictures, favorites, the complete My Documents folder etc. from your computer to a cd or a dvd using any cd/dvd burning software before you start re-installation.
2) A cd of windows software . Find out the cds or dvds that came with your laptop or your computer . There may be a software recovery disk, and a windows cd. Also the driver cds for printers, modems, network card, display adapter etc. in case of windows98/2000. win XP users do not need additional driver cds, except internet connection setup cd that came with your internet service provider.
Boot from your windows cd
Insert the windows cd in your cd drive and reboot your computer from the cd. The cd starts the installation procedure. If it doesn't boot from the cd , then press either F2/F7/delete whichever applicable depending on your type of motherboard during boot process to enter the bios settings, and change the boot order so that your computer boots from your cd first.
Installation procedure For windows 98
First you need to boot from your cd, and get in the dos mode. There you will be able to use the fdisk utility to repartition your hard disk. First boot in dos mode. Then run the command fdisk c:\ . It will begin the dos based fdisk program. There are keyboard commands to run the program. First delete the logical drives, extended partition, and then the primary partition in that order. After that you need to create a primary partition, extended partition and logical drives in the extended partition. After that make the primary partition active. Then exit fdisk. Reboot from the cd to start the installation. Now the formatting will take place after that installation of win 98 begins. Once You complete partitioning using fdisk, then restart and begin with windows installation. During installation the new partitions are formatted and the installation process begins. Once you complete the basic installation then you need to install display adapter, sound driver, network adapter, modem driver, printer driver and drivers for any other hardware that your computer may have.
For windows XP
Upgrade or New Install
On the installation screen It asks if you want to upgrade or to do a new install. Select new install. (this applies to fresh or new installation, For those who want to upgrade from previous versions of Windows to a newer version can choose to upgrade. It will keep all the data and installed programs and convert the previous version to the newer version)
There will be many screens where you have to click on to proceed. Keep reading what comes on the screen and make your choices. Your computer will reboot a few times during the course of installation.
After Installation is over
These are the steps that need to be taken immediately installation of windows is over. See article
If you had been using win98 for a long time and you like to keep using it then there is an excellent option for you to keep both win98 and the newer window on your computer. If you have win98 on C drive then you can install the newer window on D drive, and you can boot into any one of them by choosing at the boot time. If you have a hard disk large enough or if you use more than one hard disks then you can use all the versions of windows listed at boot time. Just you need to install each one of them on a separate partition on the same or another hard disk. At one time I had win98 + win2000 + win 2003 + winXP + linux on the same pc
How to remove an installation from a dual boot or a multiboot installation: see article
